The Litvinenko Inquiry

Part 3 | Chapters 1 to 5 | Alexander Litvinenko
“there was always, if I may say, a distinct difference between Marina who had
clearly taken on board the English language and had progressed very quickly and
Sasha, I think, took a little bit longer.” 90
It appears from the evidence of other witnesses, for example Tim Reilly and Alexander
Tabunov, that even in 2006 Mr Litvinenko was still in the habit of seeking out Russian
speakers in order to talk in his mother tongue. And when Mr Litvinenko was interviewed
by the Metropolitan Police Service when he was in hospital after the poisoning, it was
necessary for him to be assisted by an interpreter.
3.106 Anatoly Litvinenko started school in London in 2001. Marina Litvinenko’s evidence
was that his school fees were met by Mr Berezovsky, although she added that there
was a reduction in these payments after 2003. 91
Close friends
3.107 Mr Litvinenko had a number of friends and associates in London, including some,
such as Mr Berezovsky and Mr Goldfarb, who have already featured in this narrative.
I will refer to others in due course.
3.108 At this stage, I propose simply to introduce two men with whom Mr Litvinenko
developed particularly strong friendships during this period.
3.109 The first of these men was Vladimir Bukovsky. Mr Bukovsky, who came to give evidence
to the Inquiry, was a Russian dissident who had spent many years in detention in
Soviet Russia before being released to the West in 1976 in exchange for the general
secretary of the Chilean Communist Party. It seems that either Mr Goldfarb or
Mr Berezovsky put Mr Litvinenko in touch with Mr Bukovsky shortly after the family’s
arrival in the UK. The evidence from both Marina Litvinenko and Mr Bukovsky himself
was that, thereafter, the two developed a very strong friendship. Mrs Litvinenko
described Mr Bukovsky as Mr Litvinenko’s “guru”, and the “greatest contact” that he
had. 92 Mr Bukovsky said that he talked to Mr Litvinenko about the history of KGB
repression during the twentieth century, of which Mr Litvinenko had previously been
unaware. He said that Mr Litvinenko would sometimes telephone him “20, 30 times
a day, including the night time” and that Mr Litvinenko also travelled to see him at
his home. 93 It is clear to me that Mr Litvinenko’s discussions with Mr Bukovsky were
highly influential in the development of his political views.
3.110 The second of Mr Litvinenko’s very close friends was Akhmed Zakayev. Mr Zakayev
arrived in London in 2002 and claimed asylum. Like Mr Litvinenko, he was supported
by Mr Berezovsky. Mr Zakayev was introduced to Mr Litvinenko by Mr Berezovsky,
and Mr Zakayev subsequently chose to live with his family in a house very close to the
Litvinenko’s house in Muswell Hill. As Mr Zakayev put it in evidence, “Chechen people
first choose the neighbour and then they buy the house. That’s exactly what I did.”
He said that the two families became “very, very big friends, very close friends”, who
would see each other almost every day. 94 Again, it is clear to me that his friendship with
Mr Zakayev was an important influence on Mr Litvinenko’s life in the years between
2002 and 2006. It was during this period, and no doubt a result of this friendship, that
90
Attew 13/15-16
91
Marina Litvinenko 3/119-120
92
Marina Litvinenko 3/142-143
93
Bukovsky 26/87-88; 26/92-93
94
Zakayev 26/143
31